Index device



Sept. 6, 1932. LE ROI E. HUTCHINGS INDEX DEVICE Filed March 27, 1930 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 6, 1932.

LE ROI E. HUTCHINGS INDEX DEVICE Filed March 27, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented Sept. 6, 1932 LE ROI E. HUTOEINGS,

I nnmx DEViCE Application filed. March 27, 1980. Serial 80. 439,508.

ments in mounting such cards in an index 'tra or container.

rior to the present invention cards or card holders of the either beenmounted for oscillation or turning movement on an attached hinge memberfrom which it was irremovable, or have been removably mounted on a wireor other metallic holder. 'The present prehends improvements in thelatter type of holders which have usually extended completely across thefiling tray in slidable and removable relation thereto. The objectlon tothe latter style of holder has chiefl been to its fragility as it hasessentially een a resilient member. Such members have also been objectedto because of difiiculty in sliding them in a tray due to binding andthe like, and a further objection has been to its susceptibility toaccidental displacement due to violent jars on the tray or the like,also due to its resilient structuref An object of the present inventionis to provide separate hinge or mounting members for a card or cardholder which may be manufactured to great accuracy in an easy andrelatively economical manner.

A further object is to overcome the difliculties of the previous typesof separate mounting means by providing a mounting member which does notdepend upon resiliency for mounting in a tray but which may be removedtherefrom in a simple manner.

Another object is to provide a mounting member to which may be pivotally mounte a number of separate cards or card holders which may beremovable therefrom without disturbing the remaining cards mountethereon.

A further object is to provide a novel form of metallic hinge memberwhich is attached to the card to cooperate with the holder member.

Another object is to utilize the holding member as a retainer for aremovably mounted index signal.

Another object is to provide for the correlates to indexes or filesinvention comd fiat structure having tray is secured a d of sheet-metalrect pivotal mounting of extremely wide cards.

Other objects and advanta es of the present invention are more specically described in the accompanying drawings and specifications.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a tray incorporating the novel cardmounting of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-section through such'tray.

Fi 3 is a partial elevation of the tray showing the double card mountingon the holder of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the holdermember.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the referred embodiment of the bearingmem er.

Fig. 6 is a section on the'line 6--6 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showin the OP TONAWA NDA, NEW YORK,ASSIGN'OB T0 REMINGTON INCL, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK holding action of theshoulders of, the ear- In the drawings, the numeral 1 designates-acontainer or tray which is preferably a thin flanged sides 2 and a frontportion. Within the bottom member 3 which is construction comprisingattachmg legs 4 welded to said tray and an integral raised portion 5arranged longitudinally and centrally of the tray. The bottom memberextends for substantially the full length of the tray. The shoulders 6-of said bottom member are utilized as spacers for the retainers orholder panels 7 which abut said shoulders and are welded to the legs 4.The flanges 8 of the holder panels, which are prefhandle-carryingremovably erably U-shaped extensions thereof, are adapted to containtransversely therebetween the holder members 10 which are preferablysheet-metal stampings, each having a fiat base 11 rectangular in shapeand adapted for easy sliding movement in said holder panels. The cornersof the base 11 are rounded to allow the holdermembers to be inserted inthe holder panels by an angular sliding movement. The holder members areclamped in the holder panels 7 with their base portions in contactingrelation in any suitable manner and with the holders in one panel inalignment with the holders in the opposite panel. In the preferred formof holder member two lugs 12 and 12' are shown struck from the base 11and comprising integral vertical and horizontal portions, the horizontalportions thereof being shouldered and narrowed near their extremities toform pintles 13 and 13' respectively.

It will be understood that the form of mem ber shown as in Fig. 1 isexemplary and that any number of pintles may be used on the holders. Thepintles on the holder member in opposite holder panels in the tray shownin Fig. 1 point centrally and form pairs of aligned holder memberscontaining pintles at each side of the tray pointing centrally. Theouter pintles 13 of each pair removably receive a record-containingmember or card 15. The card is provided with means to cooperate withsaid pintle and form a bearing therewith.

Fig. 5 shows one form of such means which comprises a bearing member 16having a cylindrical journal portion 17 and a flat portion 17 integraltherewith and extending therefrom and having a reduced end portion 18forming shoulders 19 on said flat portion.

The reduced end portion 18 turns back upon said flat portion and tapersat its extremity to form an entry clip 20 which resiliently restsagainst the journal 17. The card 15 contains narrow slots 21 ofapproximately the same width and thickness as the reduced end 18 inwhich the entry clip 20 is adapted to be entered so that the portionbetween slot 21 and the end of the card is wholly received between thejournal 17 and the bent-back end portion 18 of the bearing member; Thecard is removable from'the bearing member by a reversal of this process.

en used with the tray of the type shown, the cards are often subjectedto violent shocks .caused by the slamming of the trays in theircontainer or cabinet. The recoil of such handling has been found to besufiicient to displace a card from a spring clip and the shoulders 19 ofthe bearing member are provided to prevent such displacemen Fig. 7 showsthe action of a card under rearward urge, an d it will be seen that thelip or edge of the slot 21 upon such rearward movement engages upon andis retained by the shoulders 19 and the bearings members, thuspreventing accidental displacement. As shown in Fig. l, the card 15 isprovided with two bearing members 16 Which are adapted to register withand enter upon the outer pintles 13 of a pair of holder members.

The second set of pintles 13 upon the same set of holder members isadapted to receive the bearing members 16 of the second card 23 which isof the same shape and size as the card 15 and which on its free edgecontains a cut-back portion 24 forming a tab 25 on the remaining portionof the edge of the card. Thus, with the double pintle holder shown, twooverlapping cards may be mounted upon the same set of holders withportions of both cards exposed along their free margins. Fig. 2 showsthe method of inserting a. card upon such pintle members wherein thecard is flexed as shown at 22 to permit entry of the journals 17 intheir respective pintles. Upon the release of the card in such flexedposition, the assembly of the journal 17 with the pintle will bemaintained and the cards will be swingable about the bearings thusformed. Each card is thereby removable from itssupporting pintleswithout displacement of the remaining card in the same holders.

The spacing of the cards which determines the overlap between adjacentgroups of cards mounted on the same set of holders is determined by thewidth of the base 11 of the holder members. Thus upon requirement ofvisible card margins of greater width, holder members having bases ofgreater width may be inserted in the holder panel 7 to change thespacing of the visible portions of the cards.

The arrangement of the holder member and the interspaced raised portion5 is intended to give a substantially level surface to support the cardfor the purposes of enabling and facilitating the making of entriesdirect upon the mounted cards without removal thereof.

Fig. 8 shows a further use of the double pintle holder. In thisembodiment a signal member 27 which is preferably a sheet of coloredcelluloid is of a width narrower than the underlying card 15. The innerpintles 13 in this case are utilized as mounting means for such signaland as the signal 27 is of the same width as the card 15, the freemarginal portion thereofwill project into the visible space when thecards are in overlapping stepped position and provide signal means whichare utilized in bookkeeping systems and the like in a well-known.manner.

Fig. 9 shows a. pair of bearing members 16 applied to a card holder forthe purpose of mounting the same in a tray in the same manner asthe'eard 15 of Fig. 1. This member, aside from the mounting means thusprovided, is similar in function to the type of ITO index devicedisclosed in Band, No. 1,622,670,

March 29, 1927 having at its'free extremitya pocket such as a celluloidsheath for receivin a record card or index signal.

%)n extremely wide cards three or more holders may be used. Fig. 11discloses the use of an additional holder panel 7 which contains anextra set of holder members having pintles for engaging the centralportion of a wide card 28. In this Variation the holders preferablycontain but one pintle 13" and the two pintles on the left of the setillustrated are arran ed to point toward each other, while the pmtle atthe right is engageable from the left. The method of inserting a widecard on this pintle is to first engage the bearing members 16 in the twoopposed. pintles first described and to then lock the card in place ,bythe en agement of the bear ing member with the pmtle at the right.

Other forms of bearing members may be used. The preferred embodimentdiscloses a removable member. It is found, however,

that certain types of installations may preferably use a permanentlysecured type of bearing member. The form shown in Fig. 12 shows afixedly secured bearing member 29 which is similar to the bearing member16 with the exception that the entry clip 20 is substituted for by aninturned portion 30 whichis engaged through the slot 21 of a card and isthen bent downwardly to a position in close proximity to the flat bodyportion of the bearing member, thereby permafigntly securing the card tothe bearing mem- The invention above described may be modified inconstruction and arrangement without departing from the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is 1. The combination with a filing tray hav ing spacedretainers mounted therein, of a series of holder members removablmounted in each of said retainers, each ho der member having anextending pintle, saidholder members on opposite retainers being alignedwith their respective pintles extending toward each other, bearingmembers rotatably mounted on said pintles, and a flexible card mountedon said bearing members, said card ,maintaining said bearing members onsaid pintles. a

2. The combination with a filing tray having a plurality of spacedlongitudinally arranged card holder retainers, of a series of cardholders in each of said retainers, each cf sald card holders m oneretamer g il. ably mounted on each of said pintles, "a flat transversealignment with a correspon card holder in the remainin retainers, and acard rotatably and removzfiily mounted on each aligned pair of cardholder'members.

' 3. The combination with a filing tray having spaced retainers mountedtherein, of

- holder members each having a flat base portion removably mounted ineach of said retainers and having horizontal pintle portions, the holdermembers in opposite retalners being aligned with'their respective pintleportions extending laterally of the tray-toward each other to form setsof holder members, a card rotatably and removably mounted on the outerpint es of each set and'a second card overlapping said first-named cardand rotatably and removably mounted on pintles in the same set adjacentsaid outer pintles.

4. Thecombination with a filing tray having spaced retainers mountedtherein, of holder members removably mounted in each of saidretainers,,each holder member having pintle portions, the holder membersin oppo-- site retainers being aligned with their respective pintleportions extending laterally of the tray toward each other to form setsof holder members, a card rotatably and removably mounted on the outerpintles of each set, and a signal member rota-tably and removablymounted on the remaining pintles in each of said set of holder members,said signal memhgr having a free marginal portion arrangediflsubstantially aligned relation to the free marginal portion of saidcard.

5. The combination with a filing tray hav- I ing spacedretainers mountedtherein, of holder members each having a fiat base portion re- 'movablymounted in each of said retainers and having horizontal pintle portions,the holder members in opposite retainers being aligned with their resective pintle portions extending laterally o the tray toward each otherto form sets of holder members, a card rotatably and removably mountedon the outer pintles of each set and a second card overlapping saidfirst-named card and rotatably and removably mounted on pintles in the.same set adjacent said outer pintles, the cards in one set of holdermembers overlapping the cards in an adjacent set'of holder members withmarginal portions exposed.

6. The combination with a filing tray having a plurality of retainersmounted therein, of holder members removably mounted in said retainersin transverse aligned relation with each other relative to said tray,each holder portion extending from said journal and a turned-backportion resiliently engaging said journal portion; and a card havingspaced slots at one margin, said turned-back portions of said bearingmembers being -mounted through said slots in said card to retain themarginal portion of the card between said flat portion and saidturned-back portion.

8. An index device comprising, a card having a slot adjacent one margin;a bearing member having a journal portion, a flat portion extendingtherefrom and a turned-back end thereof engagingl said journal portion;said end extending t rough the slot in said card and retainin themarginal portion of said card on said at portion.

9. An index device comprising a card having a slot adjacent one margin;a bearing member having a journal portion, a fiat portion extendingtherefrom and a turned-back end thereof overlying and resilientlyengaging said journal portion; the marginal portion of said card beingremovably mounted between said end and said flat portion, with the slotin said card being entered by said end.

10. An index device comprising a card having a slot adjacent one margin,a bearing member having a journal portion, a flat portion extendingtherefrom, with shoulders at the end of the same, and a turned-back endthereof overlying and resiliently engaging said journal portion; themarginal portion of said card being removably mounted between said endand said flat portion with the slot in said card being entered by saidend,

, said shoulders engaging the margin of the slot in said card.

LE ROI E. HUTCHINGS.

